But a few months ago, I had a dream that stirred a personal awakening.

I was walking in a building with a huge indoor pool. The pool was filled with a diverse group of people having a great time; I was enjoying watching them while I took my walk.

The next thing I knew I was in the water—way over my head. Apparently it was an L-shaped pool, and I wasn’t watching where I was walking, and had stepped right into the very deep section of the pool. I was surprisingly calm, reminding myself I know how to swim. But I was suspended somewhere between the surface and the bottom of the pool; it felt as though I was wearing more layers of clothing than when I first involuntarily entered the pool.

With no sense of panic, I thought to myself, “Wow. It looks like I’m going to die.” And then the thought, “Not today!” burst into my mind. Suddenly, I was able to effortlessly kick my legs, rise and break the surface of the water.

As I climbed the ladder to exit the pool, I thought, “Well, this is embarrassing! But who cares? I’m alive!” When I looked around, however, apparently no one even noticed what, for me, was a humiliating episode.

I was still soaking wet, but by then I was wearing different, lightweight clothing. As I turned to leave, I looked in the pool and saw my old clothing ever-so-slowly sinking into the water’s depths. I briefly thought about trying to retrieve these items, and then thought to myself, “No. I don’t need those anymore.” And suddenly I noticed that my new lightweight clothes were completely dry!

Soon after, I awoke. The message “You have an opportunity” came to me loud and clear. So loud and clear, as a matter of fact, that I startled myself by saying it out loud. Both the dream and the message were a first for me.

That dream and message are still with me today. Since that initial dream, I deepened and increased my meditation practice and renewed my personal journaling practice in an attempt to dig deeper into the possible meanings of both. It wasn’t—and isn’t—always easy. In fact, like falling in that pool and eventually climbing out fully-clothed, sometimes the revelations are embarrassing. And just like the dream, no one notices but me.

As a result of my explorations, I’m beginning to wear a new and lighter—and less self-judgmental—consciousness. I’ve learned there are some things I’ve allowed to drag me down. I no longer need them and am slowly releasing them without judgment, watching them sink ever-so-slowly, knowing they will eventually fade from my consciousness.

The best news of all is that, as I release what no longer serves me, I learn that I have not just one, but several, amazing opportunities beginning to manifest in my life. For this, and for so much more, I am truly grateful.